JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri Legislature has passed a bill reviving a tax break for small businesses that add employees.

The bill given final approval Wednesday by the House allows businesses with fewer than 50 employees to claim a $10,000 tax deduction for each job they create that pays at least their county's average wage. Those businesses could claim a $20,000 deduction if they also cover at least half the cost of their employees' health insurance premiums.

Since the launch of 1 Million Cups last year, representatives from nearly 60 companies have stood in front of about 30 people that fill a downtown Columbia conference room every Wednesday.

1 Million Cups provides a launch pad into the city's startup community where entrepreneurs have six minutes to present their business and ideas. Following the pitch the floor is open to questions and discussion from anyone at the informal gathering.

The state of Missouri gets a C grade in it's friendliness towards small businesses according to a survey released in July by thumbtack.com in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City. But does Columbia fit into this ranking?

Over 12,000 business owners were surveyed across the nation. Businesses were asked about things like existing regulations, tax code, hiring and training and networking programs.

The minimum wage in Missouri increased 10 cents to $7.35 cents to start the New Year.

That may go up in the near future.

In the State of the Union address, President Barack Obama said he wants to raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour.

“Today, a full-time worker making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year. Even with the tax relief we've put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That's wrong,” Obama said.